Gretchen Pryor, 29
Director of Operations, Worthington Design & Remodeling, Central Ind.
When Pryor joined Worthington in 2020, the company was facing high project manager turnover and was having trouble devoting enough time and resources to training. Fortunately, they had strong building blocks for processes, tenured employees in other departments who provided valuable support, and an outstanding carpentry team with a 100% customer satisfaction rating for professionalism on GuildQuality surveys. Pryor’s goal was to improve work-life balance, address employee burnout, and make processes more efficient, so that the team was working smarter and not harder. “I think part of the burnout happened because we weren’t buttoned up enough in the design phase,” Pryor notes. “And it fell down to the production team to figure out.”
The Compounding Effect of Small Improvements: Pryor discovered that focusing on small process improvements can have a great impact, like the company’s recent introduction of the McQuaig Word Survey, a personality profiling tool. “It’s been fascinating to better understand our team and uncover development opportunities,” Pryor says. “This is valuable for team conversation and collaboration. It’s very positive and powerful.”
Podcast Recommendation: How Leaders Lead with David Novak